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Ontarioinnovatorscreate newauto products

When Sergio Marchionne takes over as chairman of Ferrari on Monday, production of vehicles like the $1.3-million LaFerrari (above) is expected to increase to keep pace with growing numbers of ultra-wealthy consumers. Said Marchionne: “If that class increases, we should be able to follow them. (Otherwise) the waiting list will become too long, and people get tired.”
(TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO)

By Gary GrantSpecial to the Star

Sat., Oct. 11, 2014

As a new parent, Jamie Armstrong was strongly affected when he saw an episode of Oprah that featured anti-distracted driving crusader Shelley Forney speaking about the death of her daughter just "15 pedals from home" when she was hit by a distracted driver.

He decided that he had to do something to make a difference. What he came up with is a remarkably simple solution.

Armstrong partnered with Gauthier Dumoulin and Savino Schincaglia to create PARKyourPHONE, a simple new product that aims to eradicate cell-phone use behind the wheel using an out-of-sight, out-of-mind philosophy.

PARKyourPHONE is a cradle that is mounted on the driver's side rear window, right where most drivers put a bag or purse into the back seat before getting behind the wheel. The location also has an emotional appeal, as it shows other drivers that one does not text and drive.

The timing for the launch of this product coincides with the tougher distracted driving laws about to come into effect in Ontario (points and serious financial penalties). Discussions are under way with a major retail chain, but the simple and effective product will be available as of Oct. 20 from www.parkyourphone.ca

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One of the most commonly used tools in a mechanic's arsenal these days is the lowly broom handle. It only takes being cracked on the skull once by a car hood that won’t stay up for most technicians to use a broom handle to prop open said hood.

Why? Because the gas struts that hold open most car hoods these days allow automotive designers to save weight while creating sleek designs. But those struts don't hold their gas charge forever, resulting in a hood or trunk lid that just won't stay up. To make matters worse, they can be very costly to replace.

A new company called Ansik Inc, based at the University of Waterloo's Velocity Foundry program, has created a new product called ShockLock to combat the problem of falling hoods and trunks. Currently in beta format, ShockLock is being tested by 48 Kitchener and Waterloo-area automotive technicians to see if it is a worthy replacement for the broom handle.

The company plans to launch a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign next month to generate the revenue needed to bring the product to market. You can learn more at www.shocklock.ca

‘Big Four’ responsible for most

Road fatalities this year, OPP say

On Tuesday this week, as a lead-up to the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Ontario Provincial Police issued a report revealing that speeding, distracted driving, lack of occupant restraints and impaired driving are the main causes of death in motor-vehicle collisions.

So far this year, the OPP have investigated 216 traffic-related deaths and that those four have contributed to 168 of them.

Speeding is the leading cause, accounting for 51 deaths in the province, with distracted driving being a factor in 48 deaths. Despite being close to a 10-year low, lack of seatbelts claimed 38 lives, ahead of impaired driving, which resulted in 34 deaths on Ontario roads this year.

Echoing Jim Kenzie's frequent rants that there is no such thing as an “accident,” OPP Deputy Commissioner Brad Blair says that "these collisions only occur when motorists drive aggressively, while impaired, while distracted or while they or their passengers are not buckled up."

The OPP are calling not only for drivers to take care behind the wheel but for passengers to step up and say something when a driver misbehaves.

Warren Buffet buys fifth largest

American auto dealership group

If there was ever a question about the wisdom of investing in new car dealerships, it’s been answered.

This week, billionaire Warren Buffet invested an undisclosed sum to buy the fifth largest auto-dealer group in the United States. The privately held Van Tuyl Group generates close to $9 billion in revenue each year from 78 dealerships spread across 10 states.

The family-operated dealership group has a history that spans 62 years and the deal offers a legacy to ensure that the group is in good hands in the future under the new name, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive.

Chrysler boss Marchionne says he will step down in 2018

In an interview at Fiat's Balocco test track in northern Italy, Sergio Marchionne told Bloomberg Businessweek that he will likely move on to something else, once his five-year turnaround plan for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles comes to a close in 2018.

Having just driven his Ferrari Enzo around the track at 300 km/h, the executive who calls Toronto his hometown told the publication that “I’ll undoubtedly do something else,” adding: “I am not going to do any more turnarounds. I’m done; let some of the young punks do it.”

Only time will tell what that something else is, but Marchionne says that he "likes to think, and that's not always possible in this job". The executive has said that he would like to pursue some of his other interests, including theoretical physics.

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